Preparation

For the Cake

• 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2 In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter, sugar and vanilla bean. Mix until combined.
• 3 Add the eggs and mix just slightly.
• 4 Add the cake flour (or gluten free flour if you’re making this gluten free), cocoa, salt and baking powder in a bowl and whisk together.
• 5 Add the milk and flour mixture to the mixing bowl, and mix on low until combined. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again until combined into a smooth cake batter.
• 6 Line three 6” cake pans with parchment paper and measure batter evenly into each pan, about 213 g. each.
• 7 Bake for 17 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• 8 While the cake is cooling, make the candy hearts.
• 9 Grease a silicone mat and heart cookie cutters, set aside.

For the Hard Candy Hearts

• 1 In a medium pot add the sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat with a candy thermometer until 300 degrees.
• 2 Remove from heat and immediately add the Pink Food Dye and stir vigorously to combine so it does not clump.
• 3 Then add the cherry flavor, stir to combine.
• 4 Pour candy into the heart shaped cookie cutters. Allow candy to cool.

For the Frosting

• 1 In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, start the inside frosting first.
• 2 Add the butter, powdered sugar, cherry flavor and pink food dye. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined, then speed up mixer to high for 1 minute or until light and fluffy.
• 3 Scrape the bowl and mix again to make sure all color is mixed completely.
• 4 On a cake stand or cake spinner, place the first cake layer. Add a generous amount of frosting and top with the second cake layer. Repeat this process with the other two cake layers.
• 5 Crumb coat the outside of the cake. Allow to set or cool in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
• 6 In a clean bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar and water. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined, then speed mixer up to high for 1 minute or until light and fluffy.
• 7 Remove 170 g. frosting and add 1/8 tsp. Pink Food Dye, stir to combine completely. Set aside. With the white frosting, frost the outside of the cake smooth. Chill for about 10 minutes in the fridge or freezer.
• 8 Using the light pink frosting, place small amounts of frosting in globs on the lower half of the cake.
• 9 With a cake scraper, scrape off the frosting leaving a smooth pink finish. Repeat until you get the amount of pink desired.
• 10 Put the remaining pink frosting in a piping bag with decorating tip #199. Pipe a shell boarder on the bottom of the cake.
• 11 Using the pink frosting in the piping bag, pipe frosting on the backs of however many hearts you’d like to place on the cake. Place them on the cake.
• 12 Using Color Kitchen’s Heart Sprinkles, sprinkle them on the top of the cake as you like. Eat cake!